Evaluation of FAO’s Sustainable Management of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Programme

25/05/2016

The Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) programme is an initiative of the eight countries bordering the Bay of Bengal – Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand. This evaluation assessed the collaborative regional mechanism for effective and efficient institutional arrangements to manage such common marine ecosystem and sustainable marine resource use. It concludes that the health of the BOBLME and the sustainability of its living resources have continued to degrade, perhaps at a fast rate, given the inexorable increases in human pressures on the ecosystem. It recommends, for greater range of intensive actions on the ground, a review of experiences, identification of lessons and piloting and demonstration of management solutions. It also recommends stronger institutional and governance support for effective strategies to address the priority problems.